Theme: Science narratives and the public
The Royal Society is holding a one-day conference to explore themes of discourse between scientists and the public through a variety of media. The event should produce an interdisciplinary gathering of literary scholars, film and television historians, and historians of science.
The Society is interested in how scientific narratives have been crafted and how the best of current knowledge has been conveyed to general audiences. Some storytelling has retained an enormous hold on the popular imagination: from apple trees and gravity, to flying kites and lightning. Why have such tales and images of science in action persisted and how far from reality are they? To what extent have scientists deliberately fashioned such basic narratives, and what makes a good story (or a bad story) in science?